Quick Prey
by Miss Yaoi Hands
Summary: The Demacian scout tracks a quick Noxian assassin; but who is really being tracked?
1. Chapter 1

"_We Demacians are no easy prey…"_

**Quick Prey**

* * *

Quinn dashed over fallen trees and through tall forest grass, her feet barely even touching the forest floor. The Demacian scout looked up at Valor in the dark night sky; he looked almost invisible, but not to Quinn. Their years of training together led them up to this moment—the moment of capturing a dangerous Noxian assassin. Quinn knew that this wasn't going to be an easy task.

Quinn hated the smell of this forest—here it was nothing like the calm forests outside of Demacia—it smelt like sulfur and the poisonous rivers that flowed in the city-state of Noxus. She covered her nose with her hand as she slowed her pace. As she looked up at Valor, she noticed that his flying pattern was signaling that something was nearby. There was a sudden rustle of brush on her left and she tumbled a distance away from the sound, aiming her crossbow.

The Demacian loaded arrows into it and slowly drew back the trigger. The click of the trigger was so loud in the quiet darkness it sounded like a bomb had gone off. Her target jolted up from the bush. Quinn was relived it was only a deer. The large animal leaped from the brushed and bounded off into the shadowy forest. Quinn sighed as she got back to her feet, brushing off the dead leaved and dirt from her knees as she stood.

"You drop your guard too easily, Demacian," snarled a deep voice just in her ear. Quinn gasped as she felt a cold feeling on her neck. Looking down she recognized the long sleek arm blade; she turned her eyes and she was met with another pair of dark eyes hooded by a deep violet cloak and loose black hair. His eyes were cold as he looked at her—almost menacing.

Quinn didn't even notice his presence at all—he was quick—and she guessed neither did Valor or he'd call out a warning to her. She knew that this was the man she was looking for these past few days. The scout heard stories of this man killing thousands without leaving a single trace; she was foolish to even think that he didn't recognize that she was tracking him. Even his breathing was quiet, like he wasn't even breathing at all. Quinn had no doubt in her mind that this wasn't him—it was Talon.

Talon kept his blade at the scout's neck as he swiftly took the crossbow from her left hand. He unloaded the weapon with easy and tossed it over his shoulder. Quinn heard it land in the dead leaves just a few yards away. She knew that is push came to shove with him, she had to fight. Quinn raised her hand to whistle to Valor but Talon caught her hand, pulling it behind her neck harshly.

"I knew you were thinking of calling that wretched bird," Talon growled as he pressed his blade closer on Quinn, making her gasp for breath. "Yes, I knew you two were following me. I must say your tracking skills are excellent, but even someone of your skill doesn't know when _they_ are being followed themselves. That was your mistake." Talon chucked with his grip on Quinn tightening; he was lifting her straight off the ground. The Demacian was struggling for air now.

Talon heaved Quinn on the cold ground, knocking off her helmet. Quinn took in a sharp breath of air, so sharp she began to cough. She heard Talon's footsteps approaching her. The scout scrambled to get to her knees, but Talon snatched her arm and flipped her on her back. Quinn looked up at him towering over her. She gazed at the blades on his cloak as the glistened in the moonlight. As she gazed back up at him, Quinn noticed that he was looking down on her. Quinn couldn't read his face under his hood. She jerked back as he got on his knees. He pressed his blade on her neck as he grasped her chin in his other hand. Talon brought himself closer, less than an inch away from Quinn. The Demacian's golden eyes widened as she figured what was coming next.

"I'm sorry Valor," she whispered as she closed her eyes. Quinn heard the Noxian scoff as he pushed her face away. He stomach churned as she heard him get up, his blades clinking together with his swift movement. Quinn turned to look back at him.

"Next time we meet I won't be so forgiving." He snarled before dashing off into the dark woods. Quinn laid there for a few seconds before pushing herself back to her feet. She reached for her helmet and crossbow before calling to Valor.

"Valor to me!"

* * *

_Headcannon: Talon has a soft spot for pretty girls. _

_(I originally wrote this story for Tumblr, but I revised it and was too lazy to put it there.)_


	2. Chapter 2

"_There's nowhere to hide."_

**Quick Prey**

Chapter 2

* * *

Quinn's boots kicked up dirt and debris behind her as she dashed down a dirt path. Dawn was beginning to break over the dark mountains—light shined over the forest, painting the trees with deep reds and violets—even the air smelt a lot fresher. As much as Quinn wanted to stop and sketch out this breathtaking scene, there was no time to stop and sightsee. She was still on a mission. A night earlier the Demacian scout came face to face with the Noxian assassin himself, Talon. The scout's mind began to wander as she hurried up the woodland slopes.

_Next time I won't be so forgiving. _Those words have been haunting her mind since her encounter with the cloaked man—even the memory of his rumbling voice had her on edge. _Why was he waiting for a next time? Why didn't he just finish me off that time? Then again, how soon was next time going to be? _Quinn shook her head trying to get her mind back on her task.

A call from the skies alerted the scout and she stopped dead in her tracks. She listened to the wind as it blew past her ears; it was dead silent in the forest—aside from the wildlife. Quinn knelt down, feeling the earth on her gloved fingertips. She took in a deep breath as she lifted her fingers from the dirt. It was just Valor being careful; Quinn assumed he was still tensed from the close call with Talon—and why wouldn't he be? Talon had Quinn's life on the edge of that blade.

The scout relaxed her tensed muscles, getting to her feet again. Quinn whistled for Valor, lifting her arm and not even seconds later the large eagle was perched on her—he seemed a lot more content to be reunited with Quinn. She kissed his break as patted her companion's indigo feathers. The eagle cooed as he rubbed his crest on her cheek.

"You don't need to be so cautious, Val." Quinn chuckled. She reached into her satchel, pulling out a biscuit for the worried bird. Valor snapped it up before cooing lowly to Quinn, "I guess you are right; if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have known that Talon was around. Thank you, Val." Valor pressed his beak to Quinn's lips and then soared off back into the sky.

"That's right; Valor was the one that alerted me that something—Talon—was near. If it wasn't for Valor, I'd be dead." Quinn sighed as she adjusted her satchel strap. "Just the thought of leaving Valor all alone sends shivers up my spine." Quinn tumbled to her left when she heard the snap of twigs somewhere in the brush. She readied her crossbow and tried to subdue those feelings of fear that Talon was in that bush.

The scout's hand trembled immensely as she tried to slide her arrows into it. Biting her lips to keep in her whimpers, Quinn drew back the trigger slowly and aimed. Quinn took her eyes off the brushwood to look up at Valor circling in the sky above. She felt the taste of iron on her tongue—she had bitten too hard on her lips.

With a quick bound, a hare had dashed though the bushes behind Quinn. Quinn yelped as the animal hurried between her legs to the brush behind her, shooting off a few arrows in the process. The scout's face was red and she was stricken with embarrassment—_a rabbit? This is the second time a woodland creature has scared the life out of me… How humiliating… How would have I reacted if it was truly Talon lurking in this forest. I'd be dead before I knew it was him_—Quinn scratched the back of her neck and groaned. As she looked down at the dirt trail, she noticed a track of foot prints. The scout got on her knee to examine them more closely.

"Huh, these footprints look like they belong to a male in their mid to late twenties… and by the depth of these he looks as if he was running. There is no doubt in my mind that these footprints came from Talon." Quinn thought aloud. The scout followed the tracks with her eyes to where they were leading. "Away from Noxus; if I were Talon I would be try to be leading me in the wrong direction either to kill me or just to get me on the wrong trail… I suppose that Talon might be in Noxus and he doesn't want me finding him.

"So that means I have to go there… Noxus…" Quinn looked behind her; the trail she was on was leading into the dark city-state known as Noxus. "Thieves and assassins are known to reside in those walls, but I'm not afraid. Demacia needs us." Quinn looked up at Valor flying above her, she could tell he was ready. The scout got to her feet and made her way down the trail and into Noxus, unsure of what she might find…

* * *

_Headcannon: Quinn scares easily._

_I didn't think people would agree with this story! Thanks for the reviews and PMs!_


	3. Chapter 3

"_Still heart, steady aim."_

**Quick Prey**

Chapter 3

* * *

Quinn tried her best to keep herself from coving her nose from the vile stenches that were coming from all around her on the Noxian streets. The sun was setting, so she needed to get a lead on Talon before she loses him completely and fails her mission. As she walked, she noticed a lot of suspicious figures watching her as she made her way down the cobblestone walkway. Quinn had picked up a hooded black cloak—very common here to thieves here in Noxus— to hide her Demacian armor. She pulled her hood closer to her face as she took a turn into an alley way.

Hidden in this alley was a door, above the door read "The Leaky Barrel", and on the walls all around her were many wanted signs of various men, all wanted for common thievery and muggings—_amateurs. _Through the door she could hear yelling and loud music. _This has to be a drinking tavern. _She looked around to see if she saw a poster of Talon.

Quinn was in luck when she spotted the only poster of Talon in the lot just an arm's reach away. She looked around to see if she was still being watched and when she was sure she wasn't, Quinn carefully pulled the poster off the brick wall. She gazed at the paper between her fingers—she never realized that Talon was actually a good looking young man. The side by side comparison of him with and without his hood was astonishing. The scout couldn't take her own eyes of the assassin's—remembering that night before how those eyes were right before her. Quinn subconsciously traced the illustration's angled jaw with her finger.

Snapping back to reality, Quinn folded the poster in half before placing it in her satchel that was concealed by her cloak. _I guess the best place to find something out is from the drunken horse's mouth. At least, it's worth a shot. _Quinn took a deep breath as she gained enough courage to go walking through the door. Inside the pub, there was nothing but men drinking like there was no tomorrow. Quinn took a seat by a few men talking amongst themselves.

"You know what I heard, I heard that High Command is on a special mission as we speak," said a man with a large dragon tattoo on his greasy face, "and I heard that it was getting information about this Demacian that has been seen around outside of Noxus." The men around him mumbled curses at the mention of Demacia. "Aye and I heard that he might be in Noxus right now."

"Ya must be losing' it; I think somebody would notice if a Demacian came strollin' into the heart of Noxus!" grumbled a bearded man beside him as he took a huge gulp of his pint of beer and belched loudly enough for Quinn to rub her ear. "Besides no one goes around starting shit without the Institute of War gettin' a whiff of it—they see all!"

"Aye, now you're the one that is talking crazy! The Institute don't know shit! Drink your beer!" growled the tattooed man.

_A Demacian man on the outside of Noxus? Surely they can't be talking about me. Even if it was, nobody knows that I am in Noxus at the very moment. I got to be careful that I don't reveal myself or this whole mission will go up in smoke, or even worse… I get killed here without the Demacian forces even knowing. _Quinn thought as she bit her thumb.

"Can I get you something to drink, sir?" asked a bartender on the other side of the counter. _Even the employees here look tough; this guy must have been through hell to have his face scarred up. _Quinn thought as she looked at the man who was awaiting her answer.

"I'll have a glass of water, thank you." Quinn said as lowly, yet clearly, as she could. Her heart was at a standstill when she realized that to group of men beside her were looking straight in her direction.

"A glass of water? Boy, you must be in the wrong place. Nobody gets a _glass of water _in the Leaky Barrel!" Growled the tattooed man as he stood up in his seat, "this place is for hardened criminals and assassins, and I reckon you don't belong here. So me and my men will just escort you—" Quinn jumped back when a large glass had hit the man in the face. Infuriated, the man grasped the side of his face and turned away from Quinn to where the glass of beer was thrown. "Which one of you low lives threw that!"

From the corner of her eye, Quinn noticed another glass come flying at the man. He ducked and it had smashed on to one of his men's face. The group of men jumped from their seats and started pounding on different men in the pub. Quinn watched in shock as a huge brawl erupted before her. Chairs and glasses were thrown and the walls and floors were painted with blood and teeth. Quinn decided that this was a good time to make an escape from the scene before authorities—if any existed here on this side of Noxus—arrived. A few other men had the exact same idea as Quinn and she slipped out unseen.

* * *

Quinn let out a sigh of relief as she took off the last of her armor. She stretched out her arms as sat on her surprisingly cot. The scout was lucky enough to find a place with an open room this late at night—from the position of the moon in the sky, Quinn could tell it was almost midnight. Quinn hopped of her bed when she heard a familiar pecking at the window beside her. She opened the window and out sitting on the windowsill was Valor; he had a worried expression across his feathers—as worried as an eagle could look that is. Quinn rubbed her partner's crest with her thumb.

"You don't have to worry. I'm pretty sure you heard that bar fight a few hours ago, but I'm okay." Quinn whispered to Valor, "I know that you don't want to be cramped up in this little room; you can go off and hunt if you want. I'm just going to be writing in my journal and then hit the hay." Valor blinked before flew off into the night sky. Quinn shut the window quietly—leaving it open enough so if Valor did decided to join her in the room, it was open enough for him to just push with his beak—before she walked over to the only other piece of furniture in the room—a desk and chair—beside her bed.

Quinn pulled out the small wooden chair, opening he satchel before sitting down, and as soon as she pulled out her journal the portrait of Talon slid under her small table. Groaning as she bent down to retrieve it from under the desk, she subconsciously stared at it once more before hitting head on the way back up. _Ouch, good thing Val wasn't around to see that; he'd be laughing at me. _The humiliated scout sat back in her chair, pulling out a few pencils and charcoal as she rubbed the top of her head.

Quinn loved the feeling of her hands getting dirty from her charcoal, how the pencil felt as she dragged it against paper, and how the mess of lines she created turned into something beautiful. The Demacian exchanged between fast quick strokes and slow long strokes as she bit her lip in concentration. Her mind began wander as she drew…

_I wonder what gave me away. _Scratch. _Could it have been Talon mentioning something to his superiors? _Stroke. _If he even has anyone that he works for anyway. _Scratch, scratch. _He does seem like he is the type of man to go by his own command. _Stroke, stroke. _I wonder what type of man he would have been if he wasn't a wanted assassin all around Runeterra. _Long stroke. _I wonder if our paths would have ever crossed if that was the case. _Short stroke. _No, that's impossible. _Scratch. _He is a Noxian and I am a proud Demacian. _Stroke. _That's right… _Drop pencil. _We are two completely different people. _

Quinn sat back in her seat, pushing back her short dark hair, and sighed loudly. She was so caught up in her thoughts she didn't even realized what she had drawn. The scout looked down at her sketch and her hair stood on end. She didn't realize that while thinking of Talon, she actually drew him. Quinn hid her face in her hands from the embarrassingly detailed sketch. Peeking through her fingers, she noticed that his eyes were the things she spent most of her time on—his eyes, steely on paper as they were when she first saw them. Quinn squealed and slammed the journal shut, not even bothering to put it back in her bag.

"It's gotten really late… Maybe I should sleep like I said I was." Quinn whispered to herself as she pushed herself from the wooden chair. The scout fell on the soft bed face first into her pillow. She crawled under the thin sheets and fell into slumber as soon as she shut her eyes.

* * *

Talon watched the Demacian scout work at the small wooden desk with his breath held. He sat outside her window—for what felt like almost an hour—just observing her concentrate on whatever she had in front of her and the way her brow furrowed when she made a long pencil stroke. When she finally got up from her chair to the cot on the other side of the room, he waited before he made a move. The assassin waited as she stopped fussing under the sheets and—when he was sure that she was sound asleep—he pushed the open window open with his fingertips. Talon placed on foot after the other on the wooden floor, not even cringing when the board slightly creaked under his weight. He just kept his watchful gaze on Quinn. She actually looked peaceful while she spelt.

Talon's curiosity got the best of him when he turned to the small desk by Quinn's bed—that journal on the desk was almost taunting him. The assassin looked back at the scout before he took the navy journal in his hands, flipping to the very first page.

_It's been a few years since my twin brother passed. Maybe I would feel a bit more closure if I went to go visit the scene of the accident._ Flip. _I was very surprised to find this rare eagle in the exact same spot where Caleb… had his accident. I'm going to nurse this animal back to health. He's a brave bird—I decided to start calling him Valor. _Flip. _Valor and I got our very first mission from the king himself. We have to get information on this Noxian fugitive—it's going to be a tough mission, but Valor and I are ready. _Flip. _I can't believe I got caught by him… but what I don't understand more is why he didn't kill me. Why did he let me live? I don't think I was ready for this. _Flip. _I couldn't sleep—every time I close my eyes I see him. I see the way his eyes looked at me and I can even still feel the cold blade on my neck. It was defiantly the first time I actually felt real fear. _

Talon sighed as he read the word _fear _over and over again in his head—after a while he began to hear it in Quinn's voice. He flipped to the last entry of the journal and was somewhat surprised what he found. It was a surprisingly flattering portrait of him—the way he looked on the folded wanted poster made him look so… evil. Talon noticed that there was tiny scribbling on the bottom of the drawing. _Maybe I don't fear him… maybe I just think he is kind of… handsome. _Talon rubbed the bridge of his nose as he placed the journal back on the desk. The word _handsome _rang in his head like an annoying bell. The Noxian did a lot of prying when he was tracking a target, but this little piece of information would most likely go down as one of the most absurd.

The assassin took a few steps closer to the sleeping scout. He watched as she slowly breathed in and out, occasionally she let out a little snore. Talon let his hand over her cheek for what felt like an eternity when he finally brushed his thumb over her softly—she didn't even fuss under him, instead she smiled in her sleep. He pulled the thin sheet over her shoulder before he knelt down beside her side.

"There is a web of trouble weaving itself in Noxus. I have to get you out of here before you get caught." Talon whispered to himself before he hurried back to the window. Talon looked back at the slumbering scout and sighed, "Handsome, huh?"

* * *

_Headcannons: Quinn writes all her thoughts in her journal. All of them. Talon hates the way his wanted posters portray him—he doesn't consider himself a bad guy, he just does bad things. Valor likes to tease Quinn, like a brother would. Quinn and Talon both do not know how to react to feelings for the opposite gender :)_


	4. Chapter 4

"_I never compromise."_

**Quick Prey**

* * *

Prologue

_Don't worry we won't fail you or Demacia. _

_In the king's name,_

_Quinn and Valor_

Quinn sighed as she finished the last of the letter to Prince Jarvan and attached it to a carrier on Valor's back. She watched as her partner flew off back to a Demacian camp—just outside the border of Noxus with the letter assuring Prince Jarvan that they are close to bringing this Noxian assassin to justice. Although Quinn knew that she had no new leads on Talon—she almost felt like she was lying to all of Demacia. The scout shut the window and collapsed into the small wooden chair behind her.

"Come on Quinn," Quinn sighed as she attempted to pick herself off the chair, "I need to keep my word to the Prince and go find Talon."

* * *

Chapter 4

_That was a really strange dream I had last night. _Quinn thought as she pulled her hood over her face as she left the inn she spent the night in. She had no idea where to check for any sign of Talon, but she decided that the Leaky Barrel is somewhere she could check off her list. _I dreamt I was caught in a giant spider web in pure darkness. There was no explanation for it, but all I heard in the dark was a woman laughing—and I swear, I thought I heard Talon's voice beneath the laughter. _

Quinn kept her eyes to the dirt filled cracks between the cobblestone paths as she thought where to check first. The scout only looked up once to look at the sky, clouds were beginning to form like it was going to rain soon. Quinn smiled as she looked back down at the black stones, until she noticed a deep violet cloak in front of her. The Demacian's dark hair began to stand underneath her hood as the figure walked casually a few steps in front of her.

The scout quickened her pace as the figure turned into a narrow alley. Quinn made a sharp turn and noticed that the target was sprinting down the alley, knocking over trash cans as he did. The Demacian hurried after him, ignoring the rotten stench coming from the garbage and scattering rats in her path. Quinn felt almost proud as the target's way was blocked by a giant wall—a dead end. She pulled a dagger from her belt and pressed it to the man's neck, his back still to the scout.

"Turn around Talon," Quinn sneered as she caught her breath, "Give yourself up in the name of Demacia! I've finally caught you—but…" Quinn's heart sank when the man turned his scarred face to her—it wasn't Talon. With a swift strike, the man knocked the dagger from Quinn's hand and shoved her to the ground, taking her dagger into his own hands. A rat scurried over Quinn's shoulder as she tried to get up, making her scream.

"No use screaming, sweet cheeks. No one is going to hear you from here." The man said as he knelt down on top of Quinn. "You know there is a pretty large bounty for that Demacian that has been running around Noxus, although I'd never thought you'd be such a pretty girl. But we're going to have a little fun before we turn you into the High Command, what do you say?" The man chuckled as he grasped Quinn's face between his dirty fingers.

Quinn tried to kick the large man off of her as he shredded her cloak with the short dagger, but he was too heavy. The scout tried to get the blade away from her, but she ended up cutting her hand. _In your dreams, creep! _Quinn growled as bit deep into the man's hand, ignoring the dirt and blood on her tongue as she took the advantage of his screaming and ran.

When she thought she was finally free, another man with a gun blocked her path to the streets, pointing his gun straight at her. Quinn's boots slid on the dirt on the alleyway as the man advanced toward her, she turned and saw the other coming at her from behind not looking happy as he grasped his bloody hand. _That's what he meant by 'we'! Oh, I'm in some deep trouble now!_

"You're going to pay for that honey," the man sneered from a few feet away, "_I _was going to go easy on you, but I guess we're going to have to be forceful if you're going to be like that." The scarred man quickened his pace and the one in front of Quinn did also. Quinn jumped on some crates trying to get a hold of a flag pole just a few feet above her. The men below only laughed at her as she reached.

"I love it when girls try to run." The man with the handgun snickered, "It makes me want them **more**." He crawled on the crates, licking his lips as he grasped Quinn's ankle. Her golden eyes began to water as she imagined what they had in mind for her, but she shook her head. The scout wasn't going to give up that quick—she kicked the man in the face with her free leg and clawed the brick wall.

She turned and her heart stopped as she noticed that her kick didn't even faze the man, only making his drunken look more disgusting. Quinn's eyes widened as both men were on top of the crates now, making the rotted wood shatter under their combined weigh. Quinn covered her face as she waited for the worst.

After a few seconds of silence, Quinn peeked between her fingers. Quinn gasped as she saw the two men face first in garbage, dead. She swatted away dust that came from the old crates as she stood. The scout flipped over the scarred man with her foot, making sure he was dead, that's when she noticed that his throat had been slit. Blood didn't even begin to pour until Quinn lifted the man's chin. _Amazing! Only someone who was skilled with a blade could have executed such clean slashes like these… Wait…_

"Now don't think I'm going to go quietly," rumbled a deep voice behind her. The scout has heard that same voice that made her hair stand on end. Quinn's skin began to crawl as she realized who it was. Her heart stopped as she turned and saw him there, examining the blood on his blade. Talon looked back at her with his dark eyes, "and don't give me any of that 'in the name of Demacia' crap. I just saved your life, you know."

Talon chuckled as he flicked the blood off his blade, the blood splatting onto one of the dead men's face. Quinn's stomached churned enough to make her vomit as Talon took a step towards her, his boot stepping around garbage and bodies so carefully. The low clink of his blades was enough to send a cold chill up her spine. Quinn didn't even realize that she wasn't breathing until she felt a pain in her chest. With Talon just a foot away from her, the Demacian accepted her fate and she closed her eyes.

"Come on," Talon whispered. _Wait, what? _"Like that man said, there is a bounty for you—and."

"You want the money don't you," Quinn answered lowly as she hung her head. The scout almost screamed when Talon shoved her enough to make her jump backwards.

"Please you aren't worth the money that's offered for your capture," Talon scoffed as he grabbed her by her collar. Quinn tried to pry his hands off her but she was thrown onto the wall behind her, she squeezed her eyes shut trying to ignore the pain. As soon as the scout opened her eyes, the assassin had his blade at her neck and her feet were off the ground once again.

But his eyes—those same eyes that haunted yet mesmerized her—were just inches from her own. Even under the shadow of his hood, she could still make out their dark brown color; they were almost black. She didn't realize she was staring until Talon furrowed his brow.

"But," Quinn felt Talon's grip loosen as he spoke, "if you promise to stop following me around, I'll lead you out of Noxus." Talon lowered Quinn slightly, enough to get on her the balls of her feet, but he still had his blade at her throat.

Quinn was astonished. _I never thought that Talon would even capable of giving mercy, if this is even some kind of mercy? Unless, he plans to kill me when I'm outside of the city… or he turns me in… _Quinn thought as she pressed herself on the wall as Talon inched closer, waiting for some kind of response. The scout turned her face from the assassin, and she heard him growl in annoyance.

"It doesn't matter to me what you choose; it's a lose-lose situation for you either way." Talon had his grip tighten on Quinn's collar as he spat. "Either I kill you here and now or you leave Noxus with your life and return to Demacia as a failure. The choice is yours." Quinn bit her lip as she thought of Talon's negotiation; either way she fails Demacia even if she lives or dies. The Demacian hung her head as she sighed.

"Don't kill me here…" Quinn's voice broke as she looked as her dirt covered boots, "Take me out of the city so I don't rot in this alley. I'm a failure if I live or die." Quinn heard Talon snarl as he dropped her. The scout hissed in pain as she landed on turned over trash cans, scaring more rats out of the waste.

"That was not an offer of mine, Demacian." Talon growled, "Either you die here or you live and leave Noxus. It's too much work for me to lead you out of here and then kill you when I can just take your life here." Talon said as he rubbed his thumb over the edge of his arm blade. Quinn watched his cautiously as she got herself off the garbage. She almost fell back on her rear when Talon looked her way. "So what is your choice?"

"Fine," Quinn sighed as she took off her helmet and ran her fingers through her hair, "take me out of Noxus." The scout looked at Talon who had a somewhat disappointed look on his demeanor.

Quinn heard a small patter a coming from the streets; it was raining. Rain was falling though some of the openings in the roof above the alley, falling on Quinn's cheek. The scout heard Talon groan. Turning to him, she saw that he had stepped back from where the rain was creeping in with a scowl on his face. He looked at the dampening ground in disgust. Glancing up at Quinn, he straightened his posture.

"Alright," Talon growled as he roughly grabbed Quinn's forearm, "we will leave when it stop raining. Come on, stop dragging your feet." Quinn had to trot to keep up with Talon's long stride. Talon stopped at the sidewalk as he looked out into the street. The rain was starting to make everything smell awful. Quinn covered her nose as Talon yanked her back into the alley, jumping over growing puddles on the floor.

Talon kicked some trash cans and crates off of a hidden door in the ground. Quinn brought both of her hands to her face when Talon let go to lift the heavy door, making a horrendous smell creep from the dark hole—Quinn almost fainted. Talon chuckled as he breathed in deeply.

"The rain is just going to get heavier," Talon said as he put one foot into the door and then looked at Quinn's Demacian wardrobe, "and I think it would be smart if we went through one of Noxus' many hidden passages since your disguise was ruined—you'll be spotted quicker than a rat in a rose bush." Talon lent his hand out to Quinn. Quinn reluctantly grasped his fingertips as he led her into the dark passage…

* * *

_Headcannons: Talon is used to the gross smells in Noxus—Quinn is not. Demacia and Noxus always have some type of surveillance on each other at all times. _

_Notes: Sorry I took so long updating; I've been stuck in solo q. Also, I suppose a longer chapter would mean longer the wait. Sorry guys._


	5. Chapter 5

"_Demacia needs heroes."_

**Quick Prey**

Chapter 5

* * *

Quinn watched as the light disappeared when Talon closed the door to the underground passage, the door gave a long rusty creak that rang throughout the tunnels. He hopped down the short flight of steps in the darkness with ease—the scout could barely even see her boots in the blackness. Not to mention as soon as the door was closed, that awful stench built up around them. Quinn covered her mouth as she felt herself almost vomit, and hearing Talon take in god awful smell like it was fresh ocean air wasn't helping.

"Alright," Talon sighed, "I about know these tunnels like the back of my hand. There is one way that leads right out to the edge of the city; it won't take us long to get there." Quinn heard Talon begin to walk ahead and his steps were quickly disappearing. In a panic, Quinn ran after him.

The scout lost Talon's footsteps in the sudden sound of rushing water. While rushing after the lost sound, Quinn felt her foot squash over something and then a gurgled squeak. The dying rat twitched under Quinn's boot while she froze. The terrified scout took in a slow deep breath as she raised her leg.

"Talon," Quinn whispered low, "T-talon?" Quinn's voice cracked when she heard a loud crash behind her, jumping. The scout put out her arms and her fingers grazed across as slime covered wall. Quinn's skin crawled while the gunk clung to her fingertips when she pulled away slowly. Her eyes widened as far as they could, any further and her eyeballs would have popped right out of her skull when she heard a hissing at her feet—Quinn knew that rats didn't hiss. "Talon," Quinn called out a lot louder. She was answered with a crunching of small bones.

_Should I just stand here and wait for him to find me? _Quinn thought as he knees began to shake violently. _Maybe it was his idea to leave me here; he wants me to die here in the gutters. How could I be so stupid to listen to a Noxian?! _Quinn fisted her hands while she felt a dry feeling rise in her throat. _Well I'm not going to die here! I can find my way out of this maze! I'm a Demacian! I can…_

Quinn gasped when she felt something fall on her shoulder and it began to hiss in her ear. Without thinking, the scout sprinted forward—having no idea where she was headed. Her boots splashed in puddles as she ran.

The Demacian held her arms out in from of her while she ran, it wasn't long before her hands found a damp wall. The Demacian's breath began to shorten as she felt over the wall, it was a dead end. Quinn felt that same dry lump crawl back up her throat; she tried to swallow but it only made it worse. She slid down the wall, bringing her knees to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them. All she heard was the rushing water when her sigh faded.

"Am I going to have to hold your hand in here to, little girl?" boomed a voice in the silence. Quinn felt herself being lifted off the ground by her arm. Quinn knew who it was and surprisingly she felt relief. "If you sit there sulking the rats are going to get you, and if they don't the snakes will. Come on," Talon growled as he let go of her arm. Quinn subconsciously rubbed her forearm where Talon clutched her.

"I thought you'd left me on purpose," Quinn whispered as she felt a little guilty for thinking Talon would be so ruthless. She gasped slightly when she heard Talon stop in his tracks and scoff.

"I said I was going to get you out of here so you would leave me alone. I couldn't care less about what would happen to you after that." Talon snarled before he roughly grasped Quinn's hand in his—Quinn couldn't help but feel a little bashful at the gesture. "You were actually going in the right direction if you would have gone left after this end," Talon chuckled. "Demacia should really thoroughly test their scout before sending them on a mission." Quinn glared in Talon's direction feeling spite in his words.

The two walked in silence, and once Quinn got past the horrid smell and unknown noises at her feet, this place was actually somewhat peaceful—in an absurd kind of way. Talon's hand was ice cold, Quinn noticed and he even seemed to have slowed his pace for her. The scout closed her eyes and listened to their footsteps plop in small puddles and the slow dripping water.

Quinn's face met Talon's back when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Quinn rubbed her nose as she heard Talon groan crossly. The scout felt the assassin's hand tense up while he tapped his foot in a larger puddle.

"So that's what that loud crash was…" Talon thought out loud, "Look like we are going to have to go another way." The Noxian sighed as he turned to Quinn. Quinn let go of Talon's hand and walked in front of him—she almost tripped over large pile of boulders in her way. Quinn felt up the large rocks, discovering what Talon did, the rain water from above soaked down and made this part of the pathway collapse. "Damn, this was the only route out of Noxus too…"

"Which way could we go now?" asked Quinn as she wiped her wet hand on her leg. Talon sighed while he pushed back his hood—Quinn subconsciously tried as hard as she could to get a glimpse of his face but the tunnel was just too dark to see a thing. Talon pulled his hood over his head again and turned himself towards Quinn.

"Through the city…"

"But," Quinn thought, "You said that people would recognize me?"

"I'll figure it out when we get to that." Talon snapped, "For now, I know a place where we could stay and wait for this storm to pass." He turned and grasped Quinn's wrist as he pulled her along—going back to his harsh long steps.

"Talon," Quinn asked shyly while she tried to get her footing as she was dragged behind the assassin.

"What do you want now?" Talon growled.

"Uh," Quinn bit her lip, "is there a reason you will not go through the rain. I mean—"

"Because I don't like rain," Talon interrupted her, "that's all."

* * *

Talon kicked open a different door than where they had originally come in through. Quinn jumped when water from the alleyway came rushing in under them; the rain had increasingly gotten worse. The scout and assassin were pelted with raindrops as they stepped out of the doorway. Talon growled as he slammed the large door shut and grasped Quinn's arm. Looking around on where to go, Talon spotted a boarded up entranceway in the alley with an opening big enough to cover them from the rain. He tugged Quinn harshly before swiftly making his own way there. Quinn almost tripped in the soggy garbage when she ran after Talon.

Quinn pressed her soaked back against the cold brick wall as far away from Talon as she could manage—he did the same. She tried rubbing her arms to heat herself in the icy rain, but the cold made her fingers numb. Glancing up at Talon, Quinn noticed how he forced himself into a corner to get away from the falling water. He noticed this and he turned his face from her.

"I despise the rain," Talon whispered barely enough for Quinn to hear him, "I despise it because it reminds me of when I was younger—when I had to fend for my life in these very gutters." Quinn's expression softened when she noticed the assassin rubbing his arm self-consciously. "It made them flood and smell worse than shit."

The Demacian watched as the Noxian's face twisted in disgust as he remembered whatever dreadful memories he may have experience. Talon glanced up at Quinn before quickly looking back down at his boots, clearing his throat.

"Tell me what do you hate," he asked—although it sounded like a demand.

"The dark," Quinn instantly replied. Talon slowly lifted his face from the ground, looking at Quinn's hands clench before seeing at her face. "When I was young, I got lost in a cave… There was accident," Quinn hesitated. Talon carefully eased himself out of the corner as he waited for Quinn to finish, "where someone I knew lost his life. I sat there for hours by his side, crying, waiting for help to finally arrive. Sometimes I wish I wish it was me instead of him…"

Quinn glimpsed up at Talon with watery eyes before shooting her eyes away from him when she caught his stare. She bit her lip as she rubbed her arms frantically as if to distract Talon from her sorrow. The assassin watched expressionless as the scout tried to compose herself—he was regretting that he spoke in the first place—her lips quivered as she took in a sharp breath.

The scouts darted all around her surroundings to try and find a distraction. Her eyes lingered on Talon's arm blade, which she was all too familiar with. She watched as raindrops rolled on its sleek surface and off the pointed end.

"Why did you let me go?!" Quinn almost shouted. Talon only raised a thick eyebrow as he waited for more to her question. _I guess that I shouldn't be so surprised that she is acting this way. She lost what was close to her and she blames herself—it's understandable. I suppose bringing it up too was my fault._

"Did you hear me?"

"What," Talon mimicked her irritated tone.

"A few nights ago when we first had our encounter," Quinn paused to look at her balling fist, "you let me live. Why?"

Talon's eyes narrowed at the scout's golden eyes while she impatiently waited for his answer. The tears that came were gone as fast as they came; all that was left was her sniffling nose. The assassin studied her face like it was going to give him an answer that she'd like to hear. All that he got was she had the faintest freckles across the bridge of her nose and her face was absent of scars or disfigurations—odd for someone who spent most of her time behind enemy lines. Her eyelashes were long, long enough to brush the top of her cheeks when she blinked or looked down. Talon also then noticed her lips—they were full and slightly chapped from the cold—all of a sudden he has this absurd urge to push his lips against hers.

Talon closed his eyes tightly to get the image out of his mind, clenching his fists so tightly he almost busted the handle on his arm blade, but it just wouldn't go away. It only got progressively worse as he thought of Quinn deepening their embrace—her holding his face delicately between her small hands and even getting on her toes, the smallest things made his stomach flip. He gritted his teeth as all of these emotions he never felt before hitting him all out of nowhere.

He knew why he couldn't kill her that night in the forest, but he never really understood _why._ Talon thought he was tracking a young Demacian man, but when Talon accidently knocked off the scout's helmet he couldn't bring himself to pull his blade across her neck. He remembers that night clearly—how her helpless figure lay beneath him, how she whimpered as he crouched beside her, and he would never forget how her honey like voice whispered a lost apology. Talon was so in shock of the woman's overall beauty all he could do was scoff and leave her with a threat—now he realizes that was his mistake—but his threat only fueled her ambition to capture him.

Talon understood why he couldn't kill her, he had the same twisted fascination for her as she did for him—it was sickening to him. These illicit, yet honest, he had every time he laid eyes on her was very contradicting and it confused him even more. He cursed his biological nature as he put the finally piece together in his mind—he wanted her the way a mad would want a woman.

An infuriated growl escaped through Talon's gritted teeth and he clamped his hand over his mouth when he felt like screaming at newly discovered sensitivity. He breathed in shallowly through his nostrils while he glared Quinn, whose face twisted in confusion. _God, why am I feeling this way?! Out of all people it had to be this pitiful little Demacian girl?! This has to be some type of sick dream!_

"Talon," she spoke with that angelic like voice when she noticed his distress. The assassin almost tripped over his own two feet as he tried to create room between him and the scout. He took his hand from his face and balled it up at his side. _Shit, woman, you're really making this hard for me, you know that?!_

"I just couldn't!" Talon snapped at her between grinding fangs. The Noxian bit his lip as he tried to get his sudden burst of emotions under control—it seems even the best could lose their composure if they were pushed far enough. He crossed both arms over a heaving chest before looking at the confused Demacian woman, "I've… been tracking you.

"These past few nights I've seen you as a truly gifted scout to this little girl getting caught in a bar full of criminals." The sudden realization in Quinn's eyes almost made him chuckle, "and before you ask why I was in there I'll tell you. I foolishly thought that you would follow the tracks I left leading out of Noxus, I can see know that you saw right through that." Talon's eyes narrowed slightly when he noticed Quinn grin. Talon scoffed, "I was also the one who threw the bottle."

Quinn snapped her eyes to him, remembering that bottle in the bar that seemed to fly in from nowhere. Talon uncrossed his arms as he felt like he had won some kind of battle telling her that he had saved her once again.

"But why," asked Quinn while eyes narrowed in confusion.

"If you are going to die," Talon raised his arm blade to eye level, "it's going to be by this. I can't let some lowly criminals doing my job." He lowered his blade.

"How long have you been following me?"

"The High Command intercepted a letter going from the Prince to you. I was informed of upcoming arrival, they wanted to have body guards with me at all times, but I said I could just kill you myself when you stepped foot in Noxus. Again, I was wrong."

"I had no idea that you have been following me this whole time," Quinn lowered her head, "you truly are the skilled assassin that they say you are."

"Skilled enough to get into your room without that bird noticing I was outside your window." Talon snickered as he leaned on the brick wall. Quinn's eyes darted up to the assassin.

"What were you doing at my window?"

"Getting information," Talon gave a toothy sneer, "but all I discovered was your talent in drawing." Quinn's clasped her hands over her face as she turned a bright red. Talon had to bite his tongue to hold in laughter. "I never thought I was the ugliest man in Noxus, but it turns out I'm actually quite _handsome._ Wouldn't you agree?"

Quinn shrunk in embarrassment as Talon stressed the word handsome; she knew she should have torn up that page when she had the chance. But her eyes widened in shock when she realized that that means that Talon had to have gone through her journal to see her sketch.

"So you opened my journal," Quinn whispered as she straightened her posture, "exactly how much did you see?"

"Enough to understand what you mean by _him_," he answered lowly. Quinn turned her face to the hard rain and the way it fell in the alley. Crossing her arms, she tried to hide her face once again from Talon. _Oh great, you did it again Talon._ The assassin felt his shoulders tense up as he watched the girl slowly start to slouch where she stood. _I have to change the subject before she starts crying again… _"Uh Quinn," Talon rubbed the back of his neck, "are you cold?"

Quinn looked up from the gravel to the assassin with her eyebrow raised, but when she thought about it, she was quite cold. This overwhelming chill came over Quinn and she wrapped her arms around herself. The scout nodded as she shivered.

Talon's eye twitched as he tried to stop his arm from opening his cloak wide to the girl—it seemed to have a mind of its own as it invited her. He watched the young scout reluctantly step towards him. Even is his cloak was just a mess of leather straps and blades, it was a lot warmer than that skin tight body suit she wore under her armor.

His arm hovered just above her shoulders before he hesitantly wrapped his arm around them. Talon had to hold in a gasp when he was surprised by her small arms wrapping around his waist. The assassin looked down at her; she was the brightest red he had seen anyone turn.

Talon could feel the erratic heartbeat of the scout on his side, he reassured her wordlessly by tightening his grasp that he wasn't going to try anything. Quinn answered back by pressing her face into his chest. Now Talon's own heart was beating faster.

"You know," Quinn giggled, "that's the first time I heard you call me by my name and not by 'little girl' or 'Demacian'."

"Keep quiet before I change my mind," Talon growled.

* * *

_Headcannons: Talon is the king of tsundere (or __a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time). _

_It is never said how Quinn's brother, Caleb, dies so a collapsing cave might have been it since they were both exploring when he died._

_I'll try and update faster. Sorry. _


	6. Chapter 6

"_Just another body for the gutters."_

**Quick Prey**

Chapter 6

* * *

_Great Talon, how did you get yourself into this one? Tenderly holding a woman in the rain, but this is not just any woman, this is a Demacian woman. You're tenderly holding the enemy in your arms, you foolish boy._ Talon kicked himself mentally as he looked down at the top of Quinn's golden-bronze helmet that still had droplets of rain scattered across it. Although angry with himself, he was also trying to keep his heart from bursting out of his chest. Rolling his eyes, he looked down at his arm that was draped over the girl's shoulders. He felt his palm had gotten damp from them; she got more soaked in the rain than he did.

The Noxian bit his lip when he felt the scout slowly ease her cheek onto his chest. As he looked down he caught a glimpse of her large eyes fluttering shut. Her freckled nose crinkled as she finally relaxed herself. _How can she be so calm in the arms of an assassin? Her neck is completely exposed to me; if I wanted to, I could definitely kill her. She must know this too…_

Talon glanced at his left to the rain, which was still bombarding Noxus with water. It didn't look like it was going to end anytime soon; Noxus storms always lingered way longer than they needed to over this gloomy state—but there was a small part of the assassin that didn't want this particular storm to end just yet. Talon looked down at the girl and was instantly locked with golden eyes. The assassin managed to keep himself from faltering under their gaze, but they were certainly striking.

Her lips were slightly parted, chapped she brought her tongue over them and they glistened. The assassin felt like he was beginning to lean forward, but stopped when he felt the girl get on the tips of her tips—he knew her intentions but he didn't understand why his seemed to be the same. Talon's stomach flipped while his whole body tensed. Now he really was feeling pierced by their stare, unable to react, they just gazed upon each other for what felt like a whole lifetime. _God say something, you moron!_

"What are you staring at," Talon growled. He slightly jerked his head back when the girl grinned at him. _That damn smile of hers…_

"The rain sure is heavy," Quinn turned her golden gaze to the rain, pressing her cheek back onto the tense assassin's chest, "I hope it lifts soon. I bet that Valor is worried sick about me." Talon felt the scout take in a deep breath, and then letting out a sigh ever so slowly. When she readjusted her arms around his waist—elbows resting just above his hips—is when he remembered they were there. The assassin's fair cheeks betrayed him as they turned pink.

"Where is that bird at?" Talon asked more to distract himself from Quinn's hands laced on his lower back. He instantly turned his head to the rain—face still heated—when the scout looked up at him, her chin on the metal buckle that held his bladed cloak to him. He eased when the scout looked out into the rain with him.

"Hopefully he isn't flying in this storm trying to find me," Quinn, again to Talon's torture, rested herself on his chest. She listened to his erratic heartbeat and his uneven breathing. _ He must be either really embarrassed that he is this close to me or he is disgusted that he is this close to me, either way he isn't very good at hiding it—although, I find it rather cute in a very absurd way. _

"You must really love that bird to be so worried," Talon asked, although it was rather redundant; he had witnesses her kindness to the eagle on multiple occasions—how she stroked his feathers gently and how she kissed the bird's beak softly. While useless to ask for himself, he would rather keep the conversation going than let it die. Talon would honestly talk about anything to distract himself from the beautiful woman draped around him.

"Not only is he my partner, but he is my family," Quinn chucked, "the only family I have to be honest. I'd die if ever lost Valor."

Talon glanced down at Quinn, eyes cold although he understood exactly what she meant. He knew firsthand the feeling of losing someone important and then wandering around without purpose. Quinn slowly lifted her head and she met Talon's dark eyes. He darted his eyes upward to avoid another staring contest with her—he didn't know what he would do hypnotized once again by their stare. Quinn sighed as she nodded.

"Thank you for keeping me warm," Quinn whispered as she looked away from him, feeling slightly hurt that he had done this a few times already—he really didn't want to look back at her. She released him and took a large step backwards to create room between them. "But I can tell that you are uncomfortable." _How foolish of me to take advantage of this man's good intentions. I certainly gotten closer than I should have, I mean, pressing my cheek to his chest, wrapping my arms around him, and hell I even tried to… Well hopefully he didn't notice that. _The scout rubbed her arm in embarrassment as she reflected on her actions in the last hour. Quinn made a hole in the dirt between the gaps of cobblestone with her heel while she laced her hands between her back.

"I… wasn't uncomfortable," he whispered back. Quinn glanced up at him, Talon was pretending to look at his arm blade as he spoke, but she knew he was trying to hide his flushed face. This made her feel slightly better about this whole situation. "I just never have been so close to someone without having to slice their throats soon after." He looked up at the scout, this time he didn't look away when they locked eyes, this made her grin wide.

"I guess you were right after all," she giggled, "I do let my guard down too fast. I bet you could have killed me if you really wanted to." Quinn rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly when she realized what she said was true. If Talon did have any malicious intentions, she'd be dead because she let her fantasies get in the way of her duty.

"Certainly," Talon agreed calmly. Quinn almost jolted backwards when the assassin took a step closer to her. She shut her eyes tight, assuming the worst. But to her shock, Talon placed a single finger on the back of her neck. Quinn slowly opened her eyes and she gasped when she saw Talon just centimeters from her—her face felt as hot as flames. The assassin drew his finger from her neck to the bottom of her hairline, sending a gigantic shiver up the scout's spine.

"This whole spot was out in the open. One slash of a blade could have severed your spinal cord. From there you would have suffered a slow and painful death from the lack of blood getting to your brain. But tactics like that get too messy on my part; I have to admit to cutting my fingers wiping that much blood off my blades—numerous times." Talon snickered when he saw that the scout's face went pale white. Quinn felt her stomach churn, but she wasn't going to let Talon intimidate her so easily.

"Well you had your guard down too!" She spat back, getting on her toes slightly to match his height even if he was still a good few inches taller than her.

"Ha, oh really," chuckled Talon dryly, "where exactly?"

Quinn sneered as she placed her fingertip under Talon's chin, silencing his laugh. She ran down his neck and down to his chest as slowly as he did to her, leaving goose bumps in her wake. Glancing up at him, his face was just as red as her.

"There," she grinned proudly, although it had less of an impact with her face as red as a tomato, "If I wanted to, I would have taken the advantage of these." Quinn reached down, grasping one of Talon's blades on his cloak, and rubbed its jagged edge before dropping it. "But letting you live seems to be the best choice as of—huh…" Talon interrupted her with a loud chuckle. Quinn glared at him as he tried to get it under control.

"Letting me live? Please I know what moves you are going to make before you even think of them." Talon sneered as he crossed his arms.

"Prove it, Talon!"

"Make your move, girl."

Both of their eyes narrowed at each other while they carefully observed the other. Quinn took a step back from the assassin as he stood there smugly with his arms crossed. She kept her eyes on his, brow furrowing as she clenched her fist. Seeing that Talon would most likely not be ready for an attack with his arms crossed, she swiftly threw a punch in his direction. Quinn gasped when Talon caught her fist with lightning speed just before it met his nose. _Incredible, I didn't even see him move—my arm was instantly seized. _

She glared down at his hand that completely covered her own—it was like a bear grasping a squirrel. Looking at his other arm, Quinn realized that it would be impossible for him to block an attack from her when he had his hand on his arm blade. Smirking, the scout took another jab at him. _Impossible… _Quinn's teeth gritted as Talon sneered right in her face, her fist held while he _still _wielded his blade—she could feel the steel illuminating an icy feeling. The scout yelped as she felt her body roughly twisted and had her arms crossed on her hips. Quinn growled as the assassin had her completely immobilized, her back on his chest and wrists locked in his hands. As much as she tried to pull her arms from him, the more he pressed his weight on her.

The scout had a sudden realization of warm air on her neck, looking from the corner of her eye, he was right there. _This is bad. I'm completely vulnerable to him now! _Quinn could see him beginning to sneer.

"You're so predictable," Talon's breath hit her ear, "I saw that coming from a mile away." He growled as he playfully tossed Quinn around in his arms. _My god she is so easy to fool and—what is that? _The assassin felt Quinn's short hair tickle his nose, and every move she made trying to his hands off of her, the scout rubbed him in an awfully wrong way. _Stop moving, little girl. _Talon felt a knot in the pit of his stomach and he released her wrists. He watched with his leer still plastered on his face as she glared right back at him—a good disguise to the butterflies causing a storm in his stomach.

Talon's eyes narrowed when he picked on something missing; he noticed that it was far too quiet around them. Both of them picking up on the new found silence, the scout and assassin turned their heads to the foggy alley—rain long since gone. Looking back at Quinn, Talon watched her as she stuck her hand out from under the doorway, palm up, and when she felt no rain she grinned. _That god damn smile again._

"Come on, before people make their way into the streets again." Talon stated while he grasped her wrist, leading out of the old doorway. _You know you really didn't want to grab her wrist, you foolish boy. _They bolted down the alley with the misty street in sight, but they stopped dead in their tracks when they heard voices come from all around. Talon made Quinn crouch behind a few trash cans—she held her nose as she scowled at the silver bins—while he pulled his hood closer to his face. A few men passed by the assassin, they glared while they held their belongings closer to their persons. Taking a quick look into the streets, Talon cursed under his breath as he saw a decent number of people roaming around—there is no way he could get Quinn around without being noticed. Growling back to Quinn, he pulled her up roughly by her wrist. "There is no use. We're going to have to wait until nightfall to make a move."

Quinn smacked her lips, another good eight hour stuck in a disgusting alley with Talon. The scout eyes perked up when she noticed a rusted ladder just behind Talon. She rushed over to it, passing by Talon, and making him turn. He walked over beside her and grasped the rusting bar in his hand. Talon placed his foot on the bottom bar and managed to balance himself on the ladder; it was sturdy enough to climb.

"I suppose we don't have to wait in this filthy all day, now do we?" Talon hopped off the ladder. He stepped back to let Quinn go up first. Quinn grasped the bar nervously; not knowing if that would be the rusted one that snaps first. She managed to glance down at Talon before going another step, Quinn noticed that he was looking annoyed—well more annoyed that usual. Assuming that he was annoyed about taking her time, the scout forced herself up to pull the next bar.

What she didn't know is that he was regretting letting her go first—he was getting an eyeful of the scout. Those butterflies began to cause a ruckus in stomach once again. As Quinn pulled herself up to the next bar, it gave out a loud creak before it snapped in half. The scout thought she was going to fall, but she was surprised to be caught just in time by Talon. Although his hands were just under her rear, she was relieved that she didn't hit the ground. Talon growled loudly before pushing her up.

"W-watch your step, girl!" he snarled, "and h-hurry up!" Quinn didn't even need to turn to know his face was a bright red. She smirked as she quickly pulled herself up and over the roof ledge, wiping water from the ladder on her leg.

Quinn looked out over the streets of Noxus, even it if was the land of Demacia's sworn enemy, it was a very breathtaking place. Mist covered the roads and turned the usual green rivers black. The mist even crawled inside of the eyes of the skull shaped mountain, giving it an eerie stare as it looked at Quinn and the assassin. She heard Talon's footsteps approach and stop by her side.

"I have to leave this place," he whispered so low Quinn didn't know if he meant to say it out loud. Quinn moved her gaze to the man next to her, his face was stone like, "there is nothing for me here."

"Where would you go?" The scout asked, honestly curious.

"I hear that Piltover has strange new technologies; it would be interesting to see. Or maybe even the Freljord or anywhere but this dreadful place, "Talon scowled at the fog slowly getting thicker, making the street harder to see below.

"I've seen the Freljord; it's a snow-covered wasteland, but it's people is what gives it life." Quinn smiled as she noticed the assassin's face starting to soften. She pulled open her satchel and lifted her journal and pencil. She opened it to the next blank page—completely skipping over her latest entry—and began to scratch her pencil over the paper. Looking over her shoulder, Talon watched as she sketched out the skull shaped mountain.

"What are you doing," Talon asked, a hint of sourness still lingered in his tone, unintentional. Quinn tore her eyes from the page to the assassin, eyebrow raised high.

"Drawing? Who knows if I'll ever see Noxus like this again?" The scout went back to her journal and began to sketch faster as the mist was beginning to leave as fast as it came. Talon admired with hard face as she got every last detail to a point, from the bricks in the building walls to the smallest stone in the street. She sighed contently as she scribbled "Noxus Rooftop" at the bottom. Quinn held the journal out in front of her, admiring it. Talon's hand swooped down and took it for him. He turned his back and stood quietly in awe of the scout's craftsmanship.

"This is good." He said with his back still turned. He turned, his fingers tapping on the edge of the book as he smirked down at the scout, "but the other sketch is still my favorite." His dark eyes glimmered when Quinn scowled.

"I try my best," Quinn tried to keep an even tone with the assassin's smart remark. Talon turned his face back to the book in his hand, eyes jolting over every corner of the sketch. "Would you ever go to Demacia?" She asked as she too looked over her art over Talon's shoulder—Quinn couldn't help but catch a whiff of him, even if he was a street rat, he certainly smelled like gentleman. Talon closed the journal while he turned to face her; his brow was twisted in confusion under his hood.

"What," the question registered in his head, making him chuckle as he spoke, "with all those good-doing knights in shining armor searching all over for me? I don't think so." He handed the journal back to Quinn's small hands.

"But it's such a beautiful land! The sky is always clear and the rivers are filled with life and the-"

"It sounds like you want me there." He smirked at the girl, who tried to hide her blush by looking at her boots.

"You said you would go anywhere." Her golden eyes went soft when she met his, her fingers clamped shut on the spine of her journal.

"Going to Demacia is like a cow walking straight to the slaughterhouse. It's a place I would defiantly like to avoid." Talon crossed his arms as he spoke. Although Quinn didn't know why, she seemed a bit disappointed with his answer.

"May I ask why the Elite of Demacia is looking all over for you?" Quinn asked while she closed her satchel after placing her belongings back in it. When Talon sighed, she figured that she probably asked a too personal question. She tore her eyes from him when she began to fumble closing the last button on her bag.

"There," Quinn listened as the assassin began to gather himself. Even if he hesitated just slightly, Talon managed to tell her everything she had asked; Quinn enjoyed it to the fullest. "There is another man killing Demacian leaders and for some reason your people think it was I who did it. I've been here in Noxus this whole time your leaders started to die. Now all of a sudden that man is missing and I managed to hide here like a coward."

"I don't think you're a coward." The scout laid her hand on the assassin's shoulder. Talon turned, gazing at the small hand on him before looking back in Quinn's gold eyes. Those damn butterflies in the pit of his stomach we beginning to riot with his organs when Quinn smiled. "I understand your reasoning, Talon. Even a man as strong knows that he can't take on hundreds of Demacian soldiers." She took her hand back while her grin faded, but she let it hover just by her chest.

Talon just stared at her, unsure of how he should react to her words, but just hearing her utter his name sent a chill up his spine. Those two syllables was like an angel whispering to him, he swore he felt those butterflies trying to push themselves out of his body.

The assassin's whole body shuddered as he watched the scout's hand flutter over to his chest, it was almost painful. The back of her hand brushed his cheek like a butterfly's kiss. Her other hand joined as he tugged where his hood met his shoulders. _W-what is she doing? What do I do? _Talon's heart raced when Quinn yanked him to eye level, golden orbs soft, but clear on what they wanted. The assassin grasped both of her hands, pulling them down to her sighed. He almost gasped when the smack of her lips shattered the silence. Even if he rejected her hands, he didn't even bother to make distance between him and Quinn.

_I can't, _Talon thought as he forced himself not to lean any closer to the pouting girl. _If I do, I don't know how I will feel. Will it hate it? Will I… enjoy it? _Quinn managed to tear one hand from his grip and it pranced up to his chin. Her finger tracing his jaw was too much for him to handle. Talon felt himself suddenly lean closer, giving in to the Demacian girl's demand.

The scout took her other hand back when Talon completely let go and got on the balls of her feet. Her fingers trying their hardest to push back his violet hood subtly. When it wouldn't budge in inch past his jaw, she forced it back while Talon was still paralyzed by her palm on his cheek. Quinn felt like fainting when she finally witnessed the assassin's jet back hair. It flowed in a lose ponytail and it framed his face as it stood out against his fair skin. She ran her fingers though the strands that escaped his ponytail and pressed it behind his ear.

"Wow,"

Talon's stomach had shot itself to his throat. Here he was with a beautiful girl, in his hair, in his face, and in his personal space. He couldn't even hide the frantic beating of his heart, he knew Quinn could feel it too when she smiled after pushing herself on his chest.

He froze when he heard someone climbing the ladder behind them—Quinn was so involved with Talon's hair she didn't even notice. Talon grabbed her shoulders, rushing her yards away, and forced her behind the single rusted chimney on the roof. She knelt down, managing to hide her put when she crossed her arms. Glancing at her in her tiny tantrum, Talon honestly could say he felt the same way.

"Don't move until I say so," Talon whispered before rushing as far he could manage away from Quinn's hiding place. Talon put his foot on the edge of the roof, trying to look as relaxed as he possibly could.

"Ah, I thought that was you climbing the ladder," a familiar female voice shouted behind him. _Oh hell, it couldn't possibly be her. Not now, please not now. _Talon turned, eyes narrowing as he found himself correct when he recognized the redhead. "I was making my way back home when I spotted you running into this alley. When I didn't see you, I figured you went up the ladder. What are you doing up her anyway—did you hear about that Demacian's boy bounty?" the woman snickered.

'Uh yeah," Talon looked away from the woman as her chuckled turned into an mind-numbing cackling, "I thought catching her—him—would be easy, I could use some new blades. What are you doing wandering the streets, don't you have a job to do as the head of the High Command, Katarina?" He tried his hardest to keep down his aggravated tone. Talon's eyes glanced in the direction of Quinn, hoping Katarina would leave soon.

"No way, I just got don't arranging some things when the Demacian boy is capture, not I can relax while every gold-grubbing person searches for him. I have a couch at home that is just calling my name." Katarina sighed as she laced her hands behind her neck.

"Right," Talon rolled his eyes.

"I guess I should get going—did you hear that?" Katarina dropped to her knees while she listened again for the sound. With trained ears, Talon could hear the creaking of the chimney, as if something, or someone, was leaning on it. If he knew where it was coming from, he was sure that Katarina knew as well.

Talon whole body tensed as the redhead's eyes darted to the rusted chimney. Her hands slowly wrapped themselves on the handle of her blades. The woman was gone in the blink of an eyes; Talon immediately glared at the chimney, Katarina was already there.

"Demacian," Katarina shouted, "you're mine, foolish boy!" Talon jolted across the roof with his stomach in knots, boots slid as he found Katarina mounted on Quinn, blade already at her throat. A swift slash of her other blade, knocked Quinn's helmet clean off, slicing her cheek in the process. While Quinn grasped her wound in pain, Katarina took the chance to land a quick strike across the scout's face. Quinn's body went limp. The redhead jumped up, placed her blades back in their holsters, and cackled. "That was easy, a little too easy. Talon,

"Can you carry her for me? I'll pay you when we get home." Katarina didn't even care when she stepped on Quinn's hand as she walked over her lifeless body; that punch was certainly was going to leave a bruise on the scout's face when she woke. Talon felt a flare emerge in the pit of his stomach, it felt like anger. "Talon?"

"Uh sure…" He answered back, "hold my arm blade." He pulled his blade off his arm, handed it to Katarina, and flexed his fingers. Katarina lazily too it from him and began to make her way to the ladder on the other side of the roof.

Talon gave Quinn one last look over; even in these circumstances, her face seemed so at peace. The assassin pulled her up by her wrists, she wasn't heavy at all. Her limp body draped over his, Talon had to hold her head from falling back too harshly. He sighed as he knelt down to toss her over his shoulders. Talon grasped her hand, remembering just moments ago how so close she was to him. _What would I have done if Katarina wouldn't have appeared?_

"Like I said before," Talon whispered to the scout while he turned to Katarina was already halfway down the rusted ladder, "I'm going to get you out of here, I intend to keep that promise."

* * *

_Headcannons: Katarina doesn't really enjoy her job since she was forced into it when her father disappeared. Since Quinn reads a lot of books, she knows how a kiss is initiated—she reads romance novels when no one is around. My personal favorite, Talon isn't the best kisser—he may have kissed one or two women ever._

_Notes: Talon does have light skin. Look at his Chinese splash and his Renegade and Dragon Blade skin—I don't agree with his alternate classic splash._

_Alternate storyline: _The scout had a sudden realization of warm air on her neck, looking from the corner of her eye, he was right there. _This is bad. My butt is on his junk!_ Quinn could see him beginning to sneer.

_Thank you for reading, see you next chapter._


	7. Chapter 7

_"I'd keep my head down if I were you."_

**Quick Prey **

Chapter 7

* * *

Quinn groaned as she tried to focus her vision in the dimly lit room she was in. Her body felt cold stone under her, and an even colder chain linking her wrists together. She sat up, hissing in pain as she pressed her chained hands to the side of her head—she felt like she had been hit by a stampeding horse. Managing to get her line of sight in focus, she realized in horror that she was in a dungeon cell. It was damp wherever she touched and the chill in the air rivaled the Howling Abyss. Her golden eyes jolted around the small room and there was a single blanket strewn a few feet from her.

As she moved her shoulders to stretch, Quinn noticed how light her body was—her armor was gone. She looked down at the ragged dress she had on, it was too snug and it was too short as it ended at her thighs—it's like whoever dressed her didn't care if the martial fit her or not. Her toes curled when she realized her boots were gone too; the stone floor froze her bare feet numb. Quinn even realized when attempting to get to her hands and knees, she couldn't budge—she was barely able to touch her ears without stretching her fingers so hard she felt as if she tore them right off. A blinding light filled the room; the scout unsuccessfully covered her eyes but managed to make out two bodies approaching her.

"Well you're awake. It's been a few days—I guess I smacked you a bit too hard." That vaguely familiar voice chucked as it got closer to her. Quinn blinked and looked up, immediately recognizing the redheaded woman that stood over her. The scout's nightmare like memory remembered the same face the woman gave her before knocking her out cold. Her eyes widened as the woman's face looked down at her menacingly, fearing for what she might be thinking. Quinn's eyes were glued to the large scar going down the left side of her face—the emerald hue of her eyes clashed with the hard, reddened skin.

Quinn turned her face and her heart sank when she saw Talon standing a few feet behind the cackling woman, his face hidden in the shadow if his hood. He stood arms crossed and uncomfortable, either knowing he was guilty of something or he knew that this woman was planning to do with the scout. _Talon..._ The scout felt her throat dry and swell, no matter how hard she swallowed, the lump was there to stay.

"I guess it's time for a thorough interrogation," the redheaded woman snickered as she turned Quinn's face back to her with her boot. "Talon, watch her as I get my interrogation blades." _Blades?_ Quinn shut her eyes and listened as footsteps grew further away from her. The woman stepped out of the cell, the metal door slamming shut, and sent a loud echo jumping across the stone room.

Quinn turned her attention back to Talon, who still lingered somewhere in the room. She tried her hardest to get an idea of where he could be, but the only source of light was from a barred window letting in soft moonlight. Quinn had a clear view of it, it was just breaking into the sky, it had to have been eight o'clock more or less. It glimmered into her stone cell, creating a pool of white on to the floor. Interrupting the flow of white, were two boots and a bladed cloak. Quinn's eyes perked when she remembered that Talon was still in the room with her. He was silent, but Quinn heard his gloves clench.

"I couldn't keep you safe." He growled lowly. Quinn could see that he was hiding his face from her, but she could hear a hint of guilt in his voice. She tired getting to her feet, but the chains around her limited movement—she couldn't even push loose hair behind her ear.

"What do you mean?" Her voice cracked. As it did, she noticed the assassin reluctantly step into the light, but crawled back in the shadows a second later. Quinn could hear the clinking of his blades as he paced.

"I promised myself I'd keep you out of this mess!" Talon stomped into the moonlight with a hard guise and lips pursed together so tightly they turned white.

"_You_ were trying... to protect _me_?" _This whole time, he's been looking out for me. In the forest, in the bar and on the rooftop, he was always thinking of my safety- unintentional or so, I am truly grateful. Talon, everything people say about you is wrong. Maybe there is more to it than that; maybe you see me differently than other people, because I defiantly see you like no other. But I can't put my finger on what this feeling is... _Quinn's eyes softened on the assassin, her heart beating slowly increasing speed while she gazed at him. Talon, after a few seconds, finally nodded at her but stayed silent. The only sound in the room was him trying to keep his breath even and Quinn's rapid heartbeat.

Suddenly the door was forced open, on the outside was the silhouette of the redheaded woman and Quinn was snapped out of her thoughts. In her hand was sleek blade as long as her forearm—Quinn could see it because she brought in a lit torch with her. The room filled with light and her eyes darted to Talon again. His back was turned to Katarina and her while the woman approached the scout.

Katarina stood in front of Quinn's vision of the assassin; as he tried to look around her thighs, Katarina just yanked her face up to her. She sneered down at her, fangs bared.

"Now, if you don't comply with my following demands," Katarina traced Quinn's face with the point of the blade, stopping under her left eye, "I will gouge out your eyes one by one; not very useful to be blind as a ranger, huh?" The redhead cackled. "Alright, tell me your name."

"Quinn," said the scout reluctantly. She looked back to Talon; he rested himself on the door, and back to Katarina.

"Ok, Quinn, what is it for you being in Noxus? I already know why, so if you lie to me I'll know."

"I've," Quinn started, "I've been following the assassin known only as Talon. I was hired to find and arrest him. "Katarina's red eyebrow arched before glancing back at Talon.

"Well you failed—he found you," she smirked down at her. Katarina let go of Quinn's face and took a step back from her. "What have you seen here in Noxus?"

"Only the alleys, an inn, a bar and the streets; I must say, Noxus is a very beautiful—"

"Don't try and suck up; I only asked you what you saw." Katarina growled, "Now, have you seen anything else?"

"No ma'am."

"_Ma'am_, ha, that's cute." Katarina chuckled. Suddenly, the woman swiped the blade at Quinn, slicing the skin just above her lip. Talon jolted forward and knocked the blade out of Katarina's hand. Katarina stared at him shocked. "What are you doing, boy?!"

"She answered your question honestly, yet you still cut her?! Where is your respect?" Talon glared at her. Katarina smirked before punching him in the shoulder.

"You seem upset." Katarina picked up the blade after Talon went back to his spot on the wall. She glanced down at the scout's blood dripping off her lips and chin. "To be honest I have no respect for the likes of you, Demacian. Now, as we were, are you the only one in Noxus? You don't have any other comrades slinking around here?"

Quinn shook her head, eyes on the blood that pooled on her thighs and then slipped of the sides.

"No, it's just me."

"Excellent." Katarina poked the tip of the blade as she thought. "So, how valuable are you to Demacia?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know, would Demacia come looking for you if you went missing or just let you rot here?"

"I," Quinn thought. _I've only been hired by the prince once before, and that was to get a word on what's going on in the Freljord. The only thing that sets me apart from other rangers is Valor. Thinking about it, I guess I am pretty expendable._ Quinn closed her eyes, "they would most likely come for me—if I was of more use than collecting information—But I'm just a hired ranger."

"So what your saying is," Katarina smirked as she looked down at Quinn, "they'd let you die here?"

"Yes."

"Intriguing," the woman's smirked increased while she looked down at the saddened Demacian. "Hmm, I was going to put out a ransom for your return, but like you said, you're not worth shit to them- but I'm still going to make quick gold off you, anyway." Katarina chuckled, "you're very beautiful. Men would pay to get a taste of you. Big eyes like yours would get them going." Katarina knelt down in front of Quinn and grasped her chin, examining her golden eyes while she snickered.

Talon's eyes shot up from the stone floor, his glare like knives in Katarina's back. He knew Katarina was ruthless, but this was new—she really did have no respect for this girl. The assassin thought he had to do something to change her mind or else the scout was in for a world of trouble.

"You think you're going to be able to sell **THAT**?" Talon scoffed. Katarina turned with her face sour; she took a step towards him.

"Of course, what, you think she won't fetch a high price? A Demacian is very exotic- almost taboo." _You hit the nail on the head Kat. _Talon took one step towards her, finding her words to be a challenge. He had to clench his fist to keep his anger down, but it wasn't enough—he was furious.

"Not at all, this whole time we have thought of her to be a man—she looks prepubescent- flat as a board. I'd like to see you find a man that would want** THIS**." Talon scowled while he gestured to Quinn. The scout uncomfortably brought her legs closer to her body as Talon pointed at her—she knew he was trying to distract Katarina from the idea of selling her, but his words still hit her.

"Humph," Katarina sighed, "well don't knock it until you've tried it, kid. I'll give you a moment to see what I mean." Katarina began to make her way to the door, but Talon hastily turned her around—face still twisted into a scowl.

"What does that mean," he growled, but he knew. Katarina's eyebrow perked up as she smirked, tapping her blade on her belt buckle.

"You need to let off some steam. Go ahead, my treat. Call it a _gift_." Katarina bursts into laughter when she pushed Talon into the direction of the scout, Talon almost tripping over himself. She forced open the large door and turned before making her way out, "_have fun_."

The iron door slammed shut, Katarina's hellish cackling was now just an echo. Talon stood there, lips pressed so right they could have burst under the pressure—she couldn't have possibly meant what she said, Katarina always teased him beyond what was acceptable, but she seemed serious. Talon could hear in the stone cellar was Quinn fidgeting, she mostly likely understood what the crazy redhead said. The assassin finally turned, the moon had rose up- the light now giving a clear view of his face.

Quinn pulled up on her chains to sit up right, although her arms felt weak, she started at Talon as she did. She herself was hidden from the moonlight in the dark shadows of the walls, but she could feel her face heated like a fire—Talon was as calm as stagnant waters. After what felt like an eternity, Talon slowly made his way to her, kneeling on her side. His calm eyes were now underneath the shadow of his hood.

Talon examined her chains, pulling on the slightly, and followed them down to her thin wrists. He lifted her hands and felt the key hole with his thumb. Quinn heard him sigh when he let down her hands in her lap, standing back up. She watched him tap his foot and rub his chin while he thought, although she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"I'll be back at midnight," he finally spoke, "to get you out." Talon hurried to the iron door.

"Talon!" Quinn called out after him. He stopped with his hand inches from the handle. Talon turned towards her voice, waiting. Quinn didn't know why she called out to him, but she just let the words floor, "thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet. Unlocking your chains will be the easy part, but managing to get you passed all these guards and Katarina herself will put my skills to the test." Talon fixed his hood, "get as much rest as you can." And with that, Talon rushed out the door, not slamming it as Katarina did.

Quinn smiled in the darkness while she looked out to the moon, midnight was approaching. Her eyes fluttering shut, trying to follow Talon's order to her— it was the least she could do so far.

* * *

Talon hurried down the hallway to Quinn's cell and by the time he had gotten to the door, he noticed that it was being guarded by two men—Talon knew all the men that worked for Katarina but he has never seen these men, in fact their black armor resembled none of any of Katarina's workers. He slowed his pace as he glared at their weapons, large rifles, Katarina required all her men to use blades as she did. The assassin hid his picklock in his sleeve as he approached the armor-clad duo. He stood in front of them, and they slowly moved their fingers to their triggers. Talon glared at them as they glared right back at him, they were significantly taller than he was, truly the definition of _guards_.

"What do you think you are doing down here, _**commoner**_." Snarled the man on the left; he had a large metal jaw that covered most of his face.

"I am no commoner; I am the assassin that works for General Katarina's family. You should be answering to me, common guard." Talon spat back. The two men glanced at each other with small grins across their greasy faces.

"We heard that you are out of a job since the former General has gone missing. Don't try to fool us, boy; we hear everything." Snickered the one on the right; Talon noticed his eye patch and saw he was missing a few teeth as he laughed. Talon's hands clenched in anger as the other man joined his comrade in mocking the assassin.

"I am still an assassin for General Katarina. Now, tell me what you are doing in front of this particular door?"

"Our boss, the Grand Inventor Viktor of Zaun, is in there; he paid your General a mighty high price to get a glimpse of this captured Demacian." _Of course it's Viktor; that would explain this man's metal jaw and their odd weaponry._

"Although we know he isn't just _getting a glimpse_ of her," They cackled together. "What's it to you, assassin?"

"I'm here..." _What can I possibly say to get these two dimwits to let me passed the door? I certainly can't say I'm going to release the prisoner and lead her out of Noxus to her freedom._ Talon rubbed his arm, still feeling the cold lock pick against his arm, "Katarina gave me instructions to interrogate this woman."

"Well you're going to have to wait!"

"Our boss always gets what he wants, when he wants." All three of the men were startled when a loud shriek ran out from the other side of the door. Talon's heard pounded when he realized it was Quinn. God only knew what that madman was doing to her to make her yell out the most disturbing shriek Talon has ever heard. "Well, looks like he's already started."

"No women can resist our boss's charm; she'll stop screaming eventually. Although she could scream for more after he's done."

"Yeah, maybe he'll give us a turn?"

Talon's blood began to boil while the men high fiver each other and laughed. All Talon saw was red as he swung his arm blade across the two men. His ears rung while the men gurgled the blood that filled their throats and spilling out of their mouths. Simultaneously, they fell to the ground, blood pooling at Talon's feet. He stepped back as the blood chased his feet as if it was an act of vengeance. The assassin pulled his lock pick from his sleeve and hurried to unlock the large door.

As it clicked open, Talon heard another blood curdling shriek from the scout; he knew he had to hurry. He tossed the lock hastily over his shoulder and forced open the heavy door with his shoulder. As he entered, he saw the madman hovering, belt unbuckled, over Quinn but she kept him at bay with her legs. She turned her face to him; her terrorized expression stabbed him like a knife to the heart.

"**You**," Talon shouted, "get away from my Quinn!" Viktor looked in the direction of the assassin with his hands wrung around Quinn's ankles still trying to pry her open. His long hair clung to his sweaty forehead as he pushed Quinn's legs away and gave full attention to the assassin.

"And what do I have the honor of meeting you in a place like this, Talon?" Viktor bows slightly to him, infuriating Talon even more than he was. Talon never knew what Viktor looked like without his mask, but finally seeing him, Talon wished he wouldn't have. His face was aged heavily, probably from spending his whole life playing with dangerous chemicals. "If you're here for the Demacian girl, I'm sorry my dear boy, you're going to have to wait. I plan to have a wonderful evening with this beauty. When Katarina said she had new meat on the market, I just had to have a sample." Viktor snickered as he glanced back at Quinn, who pushed herself as far away from him as he chains would allow.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but that's not going to happen."

"Oh? Why not?"

"Because you're going to be a little... tied up."

"Excuse me-?!" Before Viktor could mutter anymore, Talon had disappeared before his very eyes. His eyes jolted to every corner of the room, but the assassin was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, Viktor felt a huge pain in the back if his head and his vision faded to black.

Talon watched as Viktor fall face first to the ground, hysterically, the mad man of Zaun began to snore. He heard Quinn giggles and he instinctively rushed to her side. The assassin let his hand hover over her while his other pulled up her sleeve over her shoulder.

"Lights out; but why didn't you finish him off?" Quinn asked while Talon began to pick her locks. They clicked open and she smiled widely when she finally got her hands free. Talon pulled Viktor by his ankles and harshly tossed him near a wall, locking his wrists together.

"If I killed Viktor, I would be in a hell of a lot more trouble than I am at this very moment." Talon helped Quinn to her feet and caught her when she stumbled on jelly-like legs. "And Katarina knows my assassination tactics. She would send the hounds after me for killing an important man from Zaun."

"May I thank you now?" She tapped her fingers as she spoke softly.

"You may-" Talon's whole body tensed when he felt Quinn's warn lips on his cheek. She grinned while her lips were pressed on him, which made Talon's face heat up. She pulled back and brushed his lose hair back in his hood. His eyes narrowed at the tired looking scout; her eyes were surrounded by black circles and aside from the slash from Katarina, Quinn had a few injuries from fighting off Viktor—Talon was really thinking about turning around and stabbing him until he was no more than a stain on the floor. Quinn's finger flicked over on his chin, bringing the assassin's attention back to her.

"Thank you, Talon. I owe you one."

* * *

_Notes:__ My first draft of Viktor in Quinn's cell was him trying to pull out her eyes for an experiment and saying he would love to incorporate her bird-like sight to a new eye he was building for his guard, but it was too graphic for a T-Rated fanfic, so I just went in a different direction although it seems like Viktor would not do that. Also Viktor wasn't my first choice as the bad guy, it was the man who captured Malcolm Graves in his lore, but the timelines don't match up here. I also don't have any personal headcannons for this chapter, sorry if you actually like those ;A;_

_Bonus: _

_"Thank you, Talon. I owe you one."_

_"Viktor is a disgusting man for wanting you while you smell like this."_

_(Because she was knocked out for days; it's OOC, but funny.)_

See you next chapter guys! Who else noticed Talon's little slip in paragraph sixty-one :D


End file.
